Walt Wagner (born 1943) [1] is an American pianist, composer, and arranger based in Seattle, Washington. He is most recently known as the longtime pianist for Seattle restaurant Canlis.
Canlis is a fine dining restaurant serving New American cuisine in Seattle, Washington. Situated in the Queen Anne neighborhood, the restaurant has views of Gas Works Park and the Cascade Mountains. It was built by Peter Canlis in 1950, and remains family-owned. The restaurant currently employs 94 people.
Wagner began on piano at age six, and took formal lessons in classical music while playing rock and roll on the side. Before he was born, his father had been a dance band leader. [2] He played in a Seattle group called The Rebels, which later became The Exotics. The group was picked up by local radio station KJR, which resulted in bookings in dance halls throughout Washington state. [3] Around 1960, The Exotics recorded a single for Jerden Records and opened in concert for Jerry Lee Lewis. [1] In the 1960s, Wagner continued performing in Seattle-area restaurants, took college courses, and worked odd jobs, including at an A&W Restaurant, as a forklift operator for the Seattle shipyard, and at Boeing. [3]
KJR is an all-sports radio station owned by iHeartMedia and located in Seattle, Washington. It was Seattle's only all-sports talk radio station until 710 KIRO affiliated itself with ESPN. KJR is now the Puget Sound region's home of Fox Sports Radio and NBC Sports Radio, and the station, mainly during Seahawks season, uses the slogan "Home of the 12th Man". KJR's transmitter site is on Vashon Island, and operates from its studios in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood northwest of downtown.
Jerden Records was an independent record label which operated from May 1960 through April 1971.
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and pianist, often known by his nickname, The Killer. He has been described as "rock & roll's first great wild man."
Throughout the 1970s, Wagner played in Sun Valley, Idaho, especially during ski season, and toured internationally as the pianist for Peggy Fleming's skating shows. In the off season he continued playing restaurants and also took work on cruise ships, which he continued to do into the 1980s. He met his future wife while performing on a cruise ship in 1987. [3] They were married the same year. [4]
Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County, Idaho, United States. The resort is adjacent to the city of Ketchum and within the greater Wood River valley. The population was 1,406 at the 2010 census, down from 1,427 in 2000. The elevation of Sun Valley is 5,920 feet (1,805 m) above sea level. Scheduled passenger airline service is available via the Friedman Memorial Airport located in nearby Hailey, approximately 15 miles (25 km) south. Visitors to Sun Valley are relatively close to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, accessed over Galena Summit on State Highway 75, the Sawtooth Scenic Byway.
Peggy Gale Fleming is an American former figure skater. She is the 1968 Olympic Champion in Ladies' singles and a three-time World Champion (1966–1968). Fleming has been a television commentator in figure skating for over 20 years, including several Winter Olympic Games.
Wagner became one of two house pianists at Seattle fine dining restaurant Canlis in 1996, where he played arrangements of popular songs. [3] [5] During this time he self-released several albums, [6] including one of his own compositions recorded with the Seattle Symphony in 1998. [7] He announced his retirement from Canlis in 2016, and record label Sub Pop recorded his final performance there on October 9. [8] The resultant live album featured his renditions of songs by DJ Shadow, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Prince, The Left Banke, Goat, The Buzzcocks, My Bloody Valentine, and Phoenix. [9] Sub Pop released the album, entitled Reworks, in November 2017. [10]
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra also serves as the accompanying orchestra for the Seattle Opera.
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often credited with helping popularize grunge music. The label's roster includes Fleet Foxes, Foals, Beach House, The Postal Service, Flight of the Conchords, Sleater-Kinney, Blitzen Trapper, Father John Misty, Shabazz Palaces, METZ, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, and The Shins. In 1995 the owners of Sub Pop sold a 49% stake of the label to the Warner Music Group.
Joshua Paul Davis, better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American record producer and DJ. He first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut studio album, Endtroducing...... He has a personal record collection of over 60,000 records.
